An Introduction to Disability in Medieval European Literature

A transformative introduction to the representation of disability in medieval literature

In many ways, the European Middle Ages influenced how people think about and discuss disability today, though medieval discourse about disability remains understudied. Julie Singer provides an accessible and comprehensive approach to this topic in An Introduction to Disability in Medieval European Literature. Surveying literature written in more than twenty languages, including French, English, German, Italian, Iberian, and Norse traditions, this book provides an unprecedented overview of how disability was represented across medieval Europe.

Thematically structured to foster comparisons across cultural and linguistic traditions, the book explores how disability was understood through its intersections with age, gender, sexuality, social class, and religious and ethnic difference, as well as represented through form and genre. Moving beyond stereotypes that disability was considered a mark of sin or that people with disabilities were utterly marginalized, this book reconstructs a fuller, cross-cultural picture of the many meanings of disability for medieval European writers and audiences. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in learning about medieval identities, medieval European literature, or the long cultural history of disability.